The Deadlast
by TimeisLife
Summary: "They told me I'm a failure! I'll prove them wrong!" This is the story of a young shinobi fighting for his dreams, of the darkness and cruelty of his world, and of his struggle to prove himself. This is the story of a deadlast.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey Everyone! I'm TimeisLife, but you can call me TiL. I've read and loved fanfiction for about four years now. I've decided to try my hand at being an author myself and created my own account. Naruto has always been one of my favorite anime, but I have always been frustrated by how they portrayed Naruto. This is my story. Thanks for checking it out. Please R &R.**

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Blood-curdling screams resounded through the crisp night air of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, as a gigantic, orange nine-tailed fox rampaged through the village, destroying buildings and ending the lives of shinobi and civilian alike. _It_ had appeared suddenly and surprised them all, and rampaged through the village.

The surviving shinobi, led by Hiruzen Sarutobi, regrouped in front of the Hokage Tower to make their final stand as large, condensed spheres of pitch-black chakra were rocketed into the buildings surrounding them. They stood together in formation, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the cause of the destruction.

The civilians evacuated as fast as they could into the safe havens created in the forests, trampling over countless mangled corpses and body parts. Young shinobi were ushered along with them in order to secure the future of the village. They held their breath to avoid the smell of death and kept their gazes upward to avoid looking at the mutilated corpses of both shinobi and civilian that were littered on the grass. The once green grasslands were now painted crimson.

Even though they were miles away from the beast, they could still hear its thunderous screech as it fought against the weary defenders.

The Kyūbi let out a large roar as it tore through shinobi after shinobi with its monstrous claws and large nine tails. The shinobi fought admirably, throwing jutsu and projectiles at it, but they wouldn't last much longer, and they knew it.

Throughout all the chaos, a single thought lay within the minds of the civilians as they fled and the shinobi as they fought for their lives: ' _Where is the Yondaime?'_

This thought indeed ran rampant through Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind as he fought viciously against the fox, shooting out multiple jutsu at it within seconds. As the retired Sandaime, he was the most crucial of the current defenders, and even he was tiring.

' _Where are you, Minato?'_ he thought, as he quickly went through multiple hand seals.

" **Katon: Karyū Endan** ," (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet) he said, then fired out three large dragon-shaped flames from his mouth at the Kyūbi. They collided with it directly but ceased to do more than annoy it. It shrugged them off, along with the multitude other weapons and jutsu the other shinobi hurled at it.

It then let out a deafening roar, then bared its fangs and began to charge another massive, dark sphere of chakra in its mouth. But instead of immediately releasing it, it continued to charge the sphere.

" _It's going to destroy the Hokage Tower,'_ Hiruzen realized.

He could not let it do so; the Hokage Tower was the only building left that was marked with the Yondaime's Hiraishin. Most of the buildings that had surrounded the Hokage Tower were marked as well, but none of them were still standing.

He looked at the fox. It was about thirty feet away from them, and the sphere it was charging was larger than the others it had fired. He turned around and faced the shinobi who were with him, and was surprised by how young some of them looked; one thing they had in common, however, was the fear drawn on each of their faces.

He turned his head back to the fox; he knew what he had to do.

Without turning around, he said, "I know how terrified you all are. I'm terrified as well. But true courage isn't never being afraid; it is having the strength to fight no matter how scared you are. I beseech you all to stand with me. On my mark, we will all send our strongest jutsu at it."

He then turned around and saw hesitant agreement.

He then formed the seal for the **Shadow Clone Technique** **.**

" **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** ," he said, and created four clones.

They formed a horizontal line, and faced the fox.

The other shinobi stood around them, and faced the fox.

He and his clones rapidly went through hand signs, each channelling a different element. The other shinobi did the same.

" **Goton Dairendan no Jutsu** **,"** (Five Release Great Combo) they said, then prepared to release their jutsu.

Right before they did, Hiruzen sensed a familiar presence appear. ' _Minato! He's finally here.'_

"Everyone stand down," he shouted, "That's an order!"

His command confused them, but they complied with it. They cancelled their jutsu; some even shot them into the sky because they were too powerful to mitigate. They stood facing the orb that was now larger than the Hokage Tower. They stood as the fox blasted it at them, out of either fear, slowness, or blind faith.

Then, an instant before the globe reached them, a sealed kunai was launched into the air directly in front of it, and their beloved Yondaime appeared in front of them in a _flash_.

His golden locks glided back and forth as he stood in front of them, holding out the kunai defensively. The sphere of chakra then collided with him as he held the kunai out in front of him.

The shinobi were astounded as the attack began to grow smaller as it was seemingly sucked into the seal, until it completely disappeared. He then threw the kunai into the air, and a deafening explosion erupted into the sky, billowing ash and dust and debris into the shinobi. Smoke filled the air.

Hiruzen then felt a presence behind him as Minato put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm late, Hiruzen-san, but I had to deal with the perpetrator of the attack. He escaped, but Kushina survived the extraction."

"And what of my wife?" Hiruzen asked earnestly.

"I'm sorry...but she and the other midwife are gone." Both men bowed their heads down.

Minato then raised his head. "But now is not the time to grieve," he said, "I need you to distract the Kyūbi for as long as you can. I have already marked it, but it will take an enormous amount of chakra to teleport it with me."

Hiruzen nodded and sprinted through the smog towards the roaring beast.

After a while, the air cleared and the shinobi saw their Sandaime distracting the Kyūbi as their Yondaime stood still charging up chakra with his hands in the Tiger seal.

The shinobi began to run toward them to help, but the Yondaime halted them. He saw that almost none of them were in any condition to fight.

"Stop," he exclaimed, "Your lives need not be risked. Your Sandaime and I will handle this."

Minato then turned to Hiruzen and quietly said, "I'm ready. Draw the beast toward me. Kushina has already prepared the ritual throne. My wife and son are waiting for me."

HIruzen then realized what Minato was planning to do.

"Take me with you," he said. "I will not let you sacrifice yourself when you need not do so."

Minato shook his head, "I am hokage. I am the one who has to do this."

Hiruzen nodded sadly, then lured the beast toward Minato.

The beast drew dangerously close to him as Hiruzen led it toward him.

Minato then said, in a voice loud enough for the shinobi to hear, "I, Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime, hereby reinstate Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Sandaime and leader of Konohagakure no Sato."

The shinobi gasped.

"I guess you'll have to figure out the secret to paperwork alone, Old Man." Minato smiled and in a _flash_ he and the Kyūbi disappeared, right as the monster charged toward him.

—o—

They reappeared in front of a destroyed home in a secluded clearing. Destroyed wood and stone surrounded the small cottage, and fresh smoke rose from the surface of the rubble. Near the rubble of the house were bunches of lilies and lilacs, standing proud and tall in a circle. Inside the circle were eight lit candles surrounding a ceremonial throne in an octagon shape, with an infant resting on it.

The baby had dark red locks of hair and whisker marks on the sides of his face. His little body rose and fell with his breath, and his unopened eyes would be a bright cerulean blue.

Next to the throne was, a beautiful woman, kneeling outside of the candles and gently rubbing her baby's cheek. She had fiery red hair and looked fragile and tired with bags under her light violet eyes. She turned around after sensing their arrival.

"You're back," she said, stating the obvious and knowing she was. She acted as if the demon was not next to her husband.

"I am," he said, ignoring the Kyūbi as well.

The Kyūbi growled and swiped his large hand at Minato, but he disappeared and reappeared next to his wife. He put his hand on her shoulder caringly.

She then held her hands out in front of herself and shot out multiple orange chains that wrapped around the demon and restrained it.

It roared and struggled against the chains, but they held still.

Kushina looked at her husband.

"Are you sure you want to do this to our own child?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"We have to, Kushina. What kind of hokage would I be if I was not willing to sacrifice my own son for my village, my family."

He paused for a moment and stared at the Kyūbi as it continued to thrash against its restraints.

"He's our son. We should have faith in him," he then said.

"The reason I don't want to put this burden on him is because he's our son!" she shouted back, but she knew there was no other choice.

He shook his head solemnly at her.

She bowed her head in submission, then tightened the chains around the demon.

Minato then looked at his wife and said, "In order to seal the demon into Naruto, we have to keep it restrained and slowly siphon fractions of its chakra until we completely seal it. Our son is of Uzumaki blood and is therefore more resilient than an ordinary baby, but even he cannot survive it if we seal all of its chakra into him at once."

Kushina nodded in understanding.

" **You are more foolish than you look if you believe you can seal me again,"** the Kyūbi bellowed, finally speaking.

" **I will never be sealed in some puny human ever again!"** it roared.

"I'm sorry, but you don't have a choice," Minato responded.

The monster bared its fangs at him.

" **Foolish human. You should have at least taken the old man with you, if you wished to seal me,"** the Kyūbi mocked.

Minato scowled. "As hokage it is my duty to protect the village. By leaving him I know it is in good hands."

The fox attempted to charge at Minato, but he was stopped by Kushina after gaining a few feet.

Minato began to charge his chakra. He then walked over to sleeping Naruto and gently placed his fingers on the baby's stomach.

" **Hakke no Fūin Shiki** **,"** (Eight Trigrams Sealing) he said, then channeled chakra into the boy's stomach.

He then teleported in front of the Kyūbi and did the same. The fox gave him a murderous glare, but remained silent.

He began to siphon the Kyūbi's chakra into the baby. It looked as if a small line of chakra was connected between the two. He then proceeded to transfer half of the Kyūbi's chakra into his son, using his own chakra as a siphoner.

Minato winced in strain.

Naruto slept as peacefully as he had before, blissfully unaware of everything that was occurring around him.

Minato began to seal the second half of tke Kyūbi when he heard his wife gasp aloud.

He turned to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, clutching her sides in pain and panting loudly. She wasn't.

"Just continue with the sealing."

And so he did. He had to work quick; he knew his wife couldn't last much longer.

The Kyūbi's body began to flicker out of existence, but it still continued to struggle.

Minato had almost completed the sealing when he heard his wife cough loudly behind him and saw the chains around the fox slightly loosen. He turned around to help her up. He made a mistake.

The fox saw its opportunity and took it.

" **I'll kill that boy!"** he snarled, and lunged at Naruto, aiming a deadly swipe with his paw.

Before his paw could reach the baby, it was blocked by two soft, fleshy bodies. The tip of its claw was barely a foot away from the infant.

Minato held Kushina in his arms as the Kyūbi's claw stabbed them both through the chest. They both glared at the demon defiantly.

"You will not touch my son! I will die for him; it is my right as his father."

"And it's my right as his mother!"

The Kyūbi remained silent in revere of their sacrifice.

He removed his claw from their bodies.

They fell on the ground beside the throne and knocked down a candle.

Minato coughed out a pool of blood over the candle, extinguishing it.

Kushina feebly lifted her arm to stroke her baby's cheek one last time.

"My Naruto, there is so much I want to say to you. Remember to wash yourself so you can stay clean, to eat well so you can grow up strong, and to study hard so you can become a great shinobi. And remember to always have dreams and precious people to protect; they are what make shinobi strong."

Kushina gasped for breath. "Oh there's so much more I want to say!"

Minato chuckled slightly. "The advice I want to give you is to stay strong; the burden you carry is incredibly heavy and the villagers will resent you for it. It is my dying wish that the villagers will see you as a hero, but I am not naive enough to believe they will."

Minato gently raised the tip of his finger to his son's stomach and channeled the last of his chakra. "And also remember not to fall for the wrong type of girl; she'll only hurt you in the end. Find a woman like your mother, a woman you are content dying with your arms around."

He lifted his hand from his baby's stomach and placed it around his wife's.

" **Fūin** **,"** (Seal) he whispered.

The Kyūbi remained silent as it was sealed into the sleeping child.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading! This is just the introduction; the chapters will get longer and better. I will try to post at least every other week, but as a teenager I'm rather busy. Christmas is also coming up, so for those who are reading: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Greetings! I apologize for the delay, but here is Chapter 2 of the story. It is twice as long as the previous chapter. This chapter mainly sets the story and improves characterization. Without further adieu, here is Chapter 2.**

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It was a bright and cheerful morning. A flock of birds flew through the blue skies, their shadows gliding on the forest floor.

A small breeze blew over the forest, rustling branches and causing leaves to fall unto the ground. They were scattered on the rough earth; some fell down onto a pair of bodies, peaceful and wrapped around each other.

Then a larger gust of wind blew into the forest, sending leaves flying farther into the air and slowly cascading them down onto the terrain. One particular leaf, however, blew even further; it blew straight past the couple and slowly descended onto the forehead of a sleeping baby, as if preordaining his fate.

The baby had dark red locks of hair and three whiskers on each side of his face. He slept peacefully as he wrapped his arms around a sealed envelope.

The trees rustled as a blur passed through them. The blur then stopped as if smelling something. It was a miniature pug that had orange skin and bright brown ears. It walked past a tree and saw the boy sleeping on the throne.

It then noticed the dead couple and whinnied in sorrow. It turned away from their bodies and turned to the throne.

It slowly crept to the throne and climbed up it, standing directly above the baby. It then bent down and gently licked the tip of his nose. The baby awoke abruptly and started to giggle cutely, causing the leaf to fall of his head.

The pug then let out a wolfish grin and jumped off the throne, walking a few feet away from the baby. It then howled loudly, and sat down.

After a few seconds the trees rustled again, and another blur darted past them. This blur was a young man dressed in all black. He had silver hair that seemed to defy gravity, a black mask that covered most of his face, and his Konoha Headband was positioned diagonally across his face, blocking his left eye.

He walked with sadness in his movements and posture. His eyes made him seem dead and hollow inside.

He looked at the pug.

"Thank you, Pakkun." His voice was soft and gentle.

The pug nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He then turned to the corpses. He could feel the tears pouring out from _both_ of his eyes.

"Minato-sensei, Kushina-san…"

He brushed the tears off with his palm and turned over to the baby. Naruto was looking at the envelope in wonder.

"Naruto, I swear I'll protect you…"

He then formed a shadow clone and picked up the bodies to be buried, and the throne with little Naruto lying atop it, still with his arms around the envelope. He picked up seven of the candles as well; the eighth was missing…

Another leaf touched the ground as the doppelgangers disappeared into the forest in a blur.

—o—

Hiruzen sighed as he held the boy in his arms, gently rocking him back and forth. He sat behind a desk in a small circular room. The desk was filled to the brink with paperwork, and a small unlit pipe rested on top of it all. Next to the pipe was a small cup of milk and a towel.

He picked up the towel, dipped it into the cup, and carefully held it up to Naruto's mouth. He sucked on it gently. Hiruzen repeated the process until the baby let out a yawn.

Hiruzen pat him on the back to help him burp, then put him to bed on the throne that was placed against the wall at the back of the room, behind his desk. The bottom half of the wall was made of concrete, but the top half of the wall was made into multiple windows that were divided evenly by concrete pillars. The windows gave quite a view.

Hiruzen sighed again; he could already hear the council calling for the boy's head. Most of them would never see the boy for what he really was; they would only see him as a demon.

He knew that he could not reveal the boy's heritage to the people; it may help with his image, but Minato had made dangerous enemies throughout his life, enemies that would instantly target the the boy upon learning of his legacy.

He was lucky that it was Kakashi that found the boy, but he remembered the pained look in his eyes when he gave him the boy; Kakashi wanted to take the boy in more than anything. They both knew, however, that Kakashi could not do so; he had lost everything in his life and currently was not in the right state of mind, and Kakashi himself knew it.

He would also have to contact Jiraiya soon.

Hiruzen let out another sigh; the council meeting would start soon, and he knew the councilmen would demand to see Naruto. He carefully picked up Naruto and exited his office.

The Council Room was only a short walk away, and he arrived quickly. When he entered the building, the council was already assembled and waiting for him. He coughed slightly and took up the chair in the front that was left for him.

The Council Room was large and square in shape, with a large rectangular table filled with chairs. The chair at the head of the table was reserved for him.

All conversation immediately stopped when he sat down, cradling the baby.

Hiruzen cleared his throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the council, as you already know, the Kyūbi attacked our village last night. The Yondaime, after reinstating me as the Sandaime in front of dozens of witnesses, managed to defeat it, but not in the sense some of you may believe."

He took a pause to recollect his thoughts and saw the council impatiently waiting for him.

"The Kyūbi was too strong to defeat, even for our Yondaime. In order to stop it he had to take drastic measures; he sealed it inside a newborn baby."

Hiruzen gestured at the baby.

A collective gasp rang through the building. It was then followed by outrage, especially from the civilian representatives, where most of the council called for the "demon" to be killed in order to "save" the village.

Hiruzen noticed that some of the clan representatives seemed calm and collected; Shikaku Nara seemed incredibly calm as if he had already figured everything out.

"Silence!" Hiruzen shouted, finally.

"The Yondaime left a letter with the boy, a letter that left me as the executor of his will. As our laws state, I am in no way required to tell you the contents of this letter."

The council began to argue again, but stopped in their tracks when Hiruzen leaked his killer intent at them.

"The Yondaime's final wish was for this boy to be seen as a hero, but I cannot force ideals upon you all. However, I will execute anyone who tries to harm the boy or tells him or their children of his burden; I want this message spread."

The council duly remained silent.

"I will personally see that he is cared for at the orphanage near the academy."

' _This is all I can do you for you, young Naruto.'_ He thought as he stroked the baby's cheek.

Naruto cooed back at him, as if he was reassuring him.

—o—

(Seven Years Later)

Naruto strolled down the Market District of the Hidden Leaf Village.

The orphanage lady didn't let him go out often, so he took the time to stretch his legs and admire the scenery.

He was dressed in a hideous orange jumpsuit, which he seemed to be in love with, and he wore a pair of goggles around his forehead, framing his flaming locks of crimson hair. He also wore a bag slung across his shoulder.

He rubbed the back of his head as he observed the people working.

Men were out transporting supplies, families were shopping together, and vendors were selling their wares; the ambience of the place was very crowded and homely for all, except for Naruto.

Naruto never understood the glares the people would give him whenever he walked through the district, or why the orphanage lady hated him so much. She would always feed him scraps left over from the other children, and although she never directly encouraged the other children to bully him, she never stopped them from doing so.

They would always pick on him and sometimes even physically harass him and steal the little food he already had.

He would often go hungry and scavenge for food.

Despite all these things, he was grateful for his life and for his jiji, who would always visit every month. But his jiji couldn't always be there for him, so he grew self-reliant. His jiji, however, wasn't the only person who was there for him.

He was grateful for the hero who protected him when he was younger; jiji told him that there were multiple attempts on his life since he was a baby, but someone always protected him. Naruto never understood why the people hated him so much that they would attack him.

But their hatred and disdain sparked something inside of him; determination to win their acknowledgement. He didn't know why they hated him and refused to acknowledge his existence, but he would change their minds and get them to acknowledge him. And he dreamed to do this by becoming their hokage someday.

And thus, throughout years of hardship and endearment, Naruto's nindo had been born: _To never back down, to never give up, to chase for one's dream, and to never break one's word._

In his quest for acknowledgement he started to pull multiple pranks in order to get him attention. He, in fact, was preparing to do one in the marketplace.

He quickly climbed onto a rooftop and sprinted, jumping from roof to roof, until he made it out of the district. He stopped when he saw the kanji for _fire_ on a circular sign on top of a building in the distance; he was nearing the Academy Buildings. He then hopped off the roof into a roll on the ground; the area he was now in was more closely supervised by ninja than the Market District and nothing would make him stick out more than by jumping from the rooftops.

He casually strolled through the streets, knowing fairly well that he was being watched; his pranks had caused him to be rather infamous throughout the village.

He walked past academy students who just finished class; most of them glared at him, flashing their killer intent. Naruto just shrugged them off.

He then found his favorite swing, which hung from the branch of a thick tree. He sat down on the swing, then pulled a book out from his bag; he would need to wait until dark to pull the prank, so he decided the kill time by rereading his favorite book.

The book was titled _The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_ , but the author's name and face were scratched out. Naruto had found the book in his room on his sixth birthday, underneath his pillow, and he fell in love with it after reading it for the first time. The book was written simply and clearly, and he understood it easily.

Naruto began to read.

But his thoughts wandered to tomorrow, the day of his birthday.

He secretly hoped he would receive another book for his seventh birthday, but part of him felt that he could never love a book more than the one he currently held in his hands.

The book was inspiring, and Naruto strived to be like the shinobi with whom he shared his name.

He flipped the page.

His mind wandered to his jiji, and what he might have gotten him for his birthday; as Hokage he was busy so he could not dedicate much time for Naruto, but his gifts were always fantastic.

Naruto flipped another page, then another, and another until daylight went away and darkness was all that was left.

He closed his book and put it back into his bag.

He carefully snuck toward the academy buildings until he reached the front entrance. He carefully glanced around, making sure no one else was present. He saw that he was alone.

He then pulled out a small case containing multiple different picks and pins. He took a straight pin and a hook pin out. He took out a miniature flashlight next, then turned it on and put in in between his teeth, shining light on the lock. He slowly placed the hook pin into the lock and began to carefully set the tumbler pins.

He had learned how to do this from a book his jiji had given him for his sixth birthday, which was titled _Forgotten Shinobi Skills and How to Utilize Them._ The book had many big words he couldn't understand, but the lock picking section was easy to read, and he had read the section eagerly. He then bought the lock picking set from a merchant after saving up for a few months.

After a few minutes he managed to get through all of the tumblers. He then rotated the pin and unlocked the door. He slowly crept inside the academy building.

The lights were off and the building was empty. He creeped forward, shining the flashlight in front of him; the flashlight was still in his mouth.

He continued through the halls until he reached a room with a sign that read _Teacher's Lounge_. He could barely contain his excitement.

He twisted the doorknob and was surprised to see that it was unlocked. He then slowly crept inside, quietly shutting the door behind him.

The room was rather large, with a sink and refrigerator in the back right corner and a couch in the back left. The couch was pressed against the back wall, and directly across from it, on the other wall, was a calendar. Tables filled up the rest of the space, with small chairs for the teaching staff.

Naruto moved toward the couch. He then reached into his bag and pulled out multiple foul smelling stink bombs. He placed them underneath the light cushions of the couch. He then began to rig every other part of the room, the fridge, the sink, the tables, and even the calender.

He laughed hysterically.

He then took out a small sheet of paper and put it on one of the tables. It read: _Look out, teachers! Because Naruto Uzumaki will be joining the academy next year._ Underneath the text was a small chibi drawing of himself sticking his tongue out at them.

He then walked over to the entrance and opened the door, and then turned around to observe his handiwork. He closed the door gently behind him. He then quietly moved back to the entrance to the academy and back to the outside.

The air was chilling and frosty, but relieving.

He then began to re-lock the door and as he did this, he felt a presence moving toward him. He urged his hands to move faster and managed to lock the door before the presence arrived. He quickly hid his lock-picking set back in his bag.

He then made as if he was trying to break into the academy.

The figure arrived and noticed Naruto instantly.

"What do we have here?" it said. Its voice was deep and raspy.

Naruto turned around to see a short, bulky man in his mid-thirties. He wore his shinobi headband around his right arm, and had his Chūnin vest wrapped snuggly around his muscled body. He had long black hair tied behind him in a ponytail, and he had scar that ran from the front of his neck to his chin.

He grinned roguishly. "Kid, why are you here in the middle of the night, trying to break into the Academy Building?"

' _He didn't call me a demon.'_ Naruto noticed. ' _And why is he smiling?'_

Naruto gulped. "Umm… I'm the new night janitor… I forgot my key at home."

The man laughed loudly.

"Kid, … that's … rich." He said in between laughs.

Naruto took his chance and bolted to the right of the man.

In what felt like an instant, the man appeared behind Naruto and restrained him in a full nelson; his arms passed under Naruto's and met together at the back of his neck, restraining him.

Naruto kicked and struggled, but the man's hold was solid. The man's demeanor had completely changed.

The man whispered into his ear, "Kid, I could kill you so easily right now… No one else would see, and even if someone did, they'd just be happy to be rid of you."

Naruto growled and bit into his arm. "I don't know why you or everyone else hates me, but I'll change their minds, and your's. I'll become Hokage someday, and you'll all acknowledge and love me!"

The man laughed again.

"Kid, there's no way someone like you could become hokage."

"I've been told that since I was little… But I won't give up!" he yelled back.

"You know what? It would be easier and more entertaining to set you free." He sneered. He then roughly released Naruto, throwing him onto the ground.

Naruto pushed himself off the ground and turned around and looked at him. "Why didn't you just kill me then? Why are you setting me free? Won't you get in trouble for this?"

The man chuckled again.

"You sure know how to run your mouth, boy."

Naruto scowled.

The man grinned. "I won't get in trouble if no one catches me. Besides, now I have the future hokage indebted to me."

Naruto's jaw dropped in shock.

"You better run along, kid, before the other shinobi show up. They won't be as kind or open-minded as I was."

Naruto did what he was told and sprinted away from the area to the east, toward the orphanage home. He was going to be in big trouble with the orphanage lady. He had no time to fret over it.

A minute later, a group of shinobi appeared in front of the academy.

"Tafuki, where did the kid go?" The group's leader asked.

"He went that way." He responded, pointing to the west.

The shinobi nodded and sprinted toward the west of the area, toward the Market district.

Tafuki laughed again.

—o—

It was a long, tiring trek back to the orphanage.

Naruto ran and ran, ignoring the burning sensation that was rampaging through his body. He passed houses and buildings, but paid no heed to them like he normally would.

After a while he made it back to the orphanage, and for the first time in his life he actually felt tired; his short legs could barely carry him upright.

The orphanage was a small, dingy building in the Residential District. It was primitively shaped like a simple cube, with a door and a tiny sign beside the door that said "Konoha Children's Orphanage." The building had no windows, and its walls were painted grey, but most of the paint had dissolved due to weathering and old age.

Naruto stood in front of the orphanage nervously. He walked up to the door and knocked gently. He then let out a long, silent yawn.

The sky was now pitch black, except for the faint rays of light that came from the moon. Naruto shuddered from the vast amounts of negative emotions coming from the door. He could feel rage, fear, impatience, and most importantly, he felt killing intent from the building.

Ever since he was little he could somehow sense negative emotions, but he had never been exposed to so many and been able to feel them all. It felt as if he was looking at the world from a new perspective, as if he had developed a _sixth sense_.

He couldn't see see, hear, smell, taste, or feel them, but he could somewhat tell the emotions apart. His head pounded painfully as he tried to sense the emotions clearer, but he was too exhausted to continue.

The adrenaline had worn off and he felt like he could collapse at any moment. He was too tired to think and he just wanted to sleep. He yawned again.

The door then opened and the orphanage lady appeared in front of him.

"Naruto, dear, you're home so late. Go into your room and go to bed. I've already made your bed for you."

He was surprised by how nice she was acting to him. ' _Why has she not screamed at me yet?'_

He failed to notice the evil smirk she wore on her face.

As he walked through the building, he noticed large boot prints and dirt on the carpet, but thought nothing of it. He looked around the space, at the small, worn-out couch, the small broom cabinet beside the couch, the colorful calendar, and then at the clock above the calendar. The clock read, _12:23 A.M._

' _Well, happy birthday to me..'_ He thought.

He heard his door creak as he approached it. He yet again thought nothing of it. He walked up to his door and opened it, then walked into his tiny room. He turned around to close the door, when he felt an alarm go through his head. It told him to duck quickly.

He quickly fell to the ground and heard a bat slam into the door, inches above his head. Dust and debris were sent into the air, creating a small smoke screen.

"Fuck, I missed!" He heard a man yell.

He immediately ran out the door in the cover of the smoke and headed for the entrance. He was blocked by two burly men who stood in front of the entrance. They grinned at each other and cracked their knuckles.

He turned around back to the hall that led to his room and saw three men approaching him. They stood in a horizontal line and walked menacingly toward him. They each wore a grin on their face.

The men on the the left and right held thick wooden bats, and the man in the middle did not appear to be armed, but he wore a shinobi headband around his neck, which made him much more dangerous than any of the others.

He could feel the killing intent coming from them. He could also feel it from the hall, behind the three approaching men; there were many more men waiting to harm him.

He was cornered.

The men drew closer and closer as Naruto tried to find a way out of his predicament.

He couldn't.

The two large oafs behind him began to move toward him. They then picked him up, holding him by his arms. A devilish gleam flashed in the eyes of the three men approaching him; the shinobi pulled out a kunai.

He saw more men coming from behind them.

He was terrified. There was nothing he could do.

The men all let out a collective laugh.

He closed his eyes and waited for the world of pain the would soon be upon him.

It didn't come.

He could hear the sound of fighting, but he was too scared to open his eyes. He felt a much stronger presence enter the room, and he could feel the rage coming from it; this rage was more abundant in presence and in power.

He could hear men screaming and groaning in pain. He could hear the clash of steel against steel. He could hear the men crashing down onto the ground and could sense their terror.

But he was still too afraid to open his eyes.

After a while the noises stopped and were replaced by a calm silence. He heard the building collapse and felt the cold night air bite him.

"You can open your eyes now." The voice was soft and gentle. His hero stood in front of him.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and gazed downward, at the destruction the owner of the voice had caused. Mangled bodies filled the orphanage floor, blood stained the walls that were still standing, and body parts were scattered everywhere.

Naruto was scared to look up and see who had saved his life, but he looked up anyway.

His hero wore a white mask that resembled a dog and had silver hair that streaked upward. He held a katana in his right hand and Naruto could see the blood dripping from it as the man panted.

Naruto felt as if he had seen this man before.

"You're safe now, Naruto." He heard him say.

Naruto collapsed with a smile on his face right into the arms of his savior.

The man sighed and picked him up bridal style, carefully cradling the boy's head.

—o—

The Hokage Residence was a large square building painted red and white. It stood at thirty feet tall and had two floors. There were multiple windows carved into the walls on both floors, and the kanji for fire was carved into the four pillars that supported the building at its corners. The pillars were colored a dark red, and the kanji a pitch black.

Around the residence was a large fence with two gates cut out for entrances. The fence was long and black, and stood up to almost half the height of the building. It was manned by multiple shinobi at all times.

The guards were surprised to see an anbu agent appear in front of them, carrying a young, sleeping boy. But they let the man into the Hokage Residence upon seeing his silver hair and sensing the rage that was boiling inside of him.

The gate opened with a loud creak, and closed with another one.

He walked slowly and quietly through, as if not to wake the boy up.

Eventually he reached the front door, but instead of going in through it, he veered to the left and jumped up to a window on the second floor. The window was large and shaped like an arch. Kakashi unlocked it easily and swooped into the house.

He entered a long wooden hall that was vastly decorated. On the left side, the side the window was connected to, there were picture frames of the past Hokages and old weapons hung on the walls. On the right side, there were small drawers, plants, and scrolls that were smartly placed on the floor. The floor was carpeted in a soft, crimson rug with the kanji for fire in the center.

He walked down the hall, being sure to make a noticeable amount of noise. He stopped at a white rectangular door. He knocked, waited for a few seconds, then barged in.

The Hokage's room was small and simple. It was filled with paperwork, and had multiple forbidden scrolls and seals locked inside it. A small bed was made in the back of the room, and on the opposite wall there was a large picture of Hiruzen and his wife standing side by side.

On top of the bed laid Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage and supreme leader of Konohagakure no Sato, snoring loudly. A bubble grew and shrank on his nose as he inhaled and exhaled. He laid on his stomach and one of his arms were draped over the mattress and onto the floor; the hand held an unlit wooden pipe.

Kakashi sweatdropped at the sight.

"H…Hokage-sama," he said.

Hiruzen woke instantaneously and jumped to the floor. "Why hello there, Kakashi."

"I take it something has happened to Naruto?" He asked questioningly, his finger pointing at the boy.

"Yes, I was watching over him when he was attacked by civilians and one of our own shinobi. I have disposed of them all."

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "Good... Let him sleep in my guest room tonight."

Hiruzen sat down on his bed and crossed his legs.

Kakashi nodded and carried Naruto out of the room.

He returned a few minutes later and found the Hokage in the same position. He stood in front of him and waited for him to speak. He fidgeted uncomfortably as the man sat and seemingly stared at nothing.

"We need to protect him." Kakashi said, breaking the silence.

The silence fixed itself quickly and stayed that way.

After what seemed like hours, Hiruzen finally spoke.

"From now on, I will send an ANBU squad to watch over the boy. I can no longer trust anyone to take care of him, so he will have to do so for himself. I'll find and pay for an apartment for him to live in, and I'll send him money every month until he becomes a shinobi."

"But sir… Isn't he too young?" Kakashi interjected.

"This is the best option for him. I will see to it that this occurs immediately." Hiruzen responded sagely.

Kakashi nodded. "I'll still watch over the boy. I'll protect him with my life, like his father did for me."

"There is more, Kakashi-san. Due to recent reports from village Jōnin that were in your graduating class, I ask that you step down from your position as an ANBU member."

Kakashi began to protest, but Hiruzen raised his hand to silence him.

"You have grown cold and cruel since Rin's death; I know you can see it. If you want more proof go to the orphanage and look at the destruction you caused. I want you to become a Jōnin again and begin to lead young Genin squads."

"Alright, sir." Kakashi responded.

Hiruzen was surprised he caved so quickly.

"But I have one condition: I want to be Naruto's sensei when he becomes a shinobi."

It was as if Kakashi had read his mind.

* * *

 **AN: Thanks for reading! Was this chapter too LONG, too SHORT, too BORING? Please let me know in the reviews. Please mark any grammatical errors you may find as well.**


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